[bksvol-discuss] Dorritt Bent: A Life Story

"Shelley L. Rhodes" <juddysbuddy@xxxxxxxxxxxx> · Thu, 9 Dec 2004 13:03:00 -0500

Jamaica Observer
Monday, November 29, 2004

Dorritt Bent: A Life Story

By AW Sangster

"Pioneering social worker was Administrative Secretary for the Jamaican 
Society for the Blind, for over 15 years."

Bookshelf
Title: Si Mi Yah
Compiled by: Phyllis Ramsay- Mensah
Reviewed by: AW Sangster

SI MI YAH: A life Story is an Arawak Publication in 2004 and is an 
autobiography of one of Jamaica's pioneering social workers compiled by 
Phyllis Ramsay-Mensah.

As the writer explains in the introduction, the task of compiling the 
autobiographical material of Dorritt Bent was a challenge and an 
inspiration. This is also the message in the foreword by Dr. Maitland Evans 
the General Secretary of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman 
Islands.

He says: This book celebrates the wonderful ways in which Dorritt's presence 
as a community worker found favour and acceptance in the yards in Trench 
Town as well as the patios of the privileged.

In two years from the date of the publication Dorritt Bent will be an 
octogenarian, but it is the measure of this Jamaican icon to be very active 
in her retirement environment in Spalding as local Justice of the Peace, 
community leader, environmentalist, health activist, fitness buff and United 
Church stalwart.

Growing up in the country, Dorritt was the tenth child of Georgena and 
Egbert Bent, educators in the district of Carron Hall in the parish of St. 
Mary. Her father was the Principal of the local school and in addition was: 
lay preacher, letter-writer, agriculturalist, choirmaster and family 
counselor.

Dorritt growing up in a 'Teacher's Cottage' saw her father as the 'head cook 
and bottle washer in the community'. Her mother was equally involved in the 
work of the Church as Sunday school teacher and as supporter of the family 
connections to the Carron Hall Presbyterian Church (now the United Church).

This early connection will explain Dorritt's life long links with the 
denomination and in particular her strong later connections in Kingston with 
the Webster Memorial United Church.

In those early days without the benefit of telephones, television and other 
forms of entertainment, the children learned to entertain themselves and did 
a lot of walking, often in groups. The habit of walking has not left Dorritt 
who in life has climbed to the Blue Mountain peak and continues the practice 
in her retirement.

School in Kingston was first at the Half-Way-Tree Elementary School where 
Edith Dalton James made a strong impression on this bright and precocious 
little girl. Merl Grove High was next and she has fond memories of Gladys 
Allen who taught the girls English "how to sing properly".

The knowledge paid off as the school in 1935 won the three coveted awards of 
the Schools Singing Festival and Dorritt was one of the singers. School life 
was not easy as her mother had to struggle to find the resources to send and 
keep the children in school.

As a teenager Dorritt became involved in the fledging Webster Memorial 
Church and was one of the early pioneers as Primary Sunday School leader, 
helping in the club for "household helpers" then called "servants" and later 
to become a church leader and elder.

As Dorritt became more involved and drawn to social work, a one year course 
in Social Service organised by the Central Council for Voluntary Social 
Services provided the beginning of her lifelong commitment to service.

The course was more than staid lectures, for fieldwork and visits were a 
part of the programme. Here at the Hanson Home for lepers and the Child 
Welfare Centre she began to catch the vision of hurting humanity and what 
she could do about it.

She became a pioneer in Trench Town where the idea of community upliftment 
through social work and volunteerism were key elements in the vision to make 
a difference in the lives of -- in particular -- young women of an inner 
city community.

Trench Town at that particular time was seen as one of, if not the major 
inner city (Ghetto Community) area. Dorritt took the idea of developing a 
club centre in the area under the aegis of the YWCA, which was later to be 
known as the Trench Town Club Centre (TTCC).

In a chapter in the book titled: Self recognition at Trench Town, the story 
is told of how Dorritt sold the idea of the Club to the residents of the 
area. In the initial period of planning and preparation: Dorritt would walk 
by the open gutters teaming with stagnant water litter and organisms, past 
the dogs, the hawkers, scufflers and hustlers, the majority of whom were 
struggling to make a bread, so as to avoid having to go back to their rural 
homesteads or to end up in jail.

With her broad hat and bag in hand in those early pioneering days she was 
often asked, "What are you selling? Her prompt reply was "Good News". After 
walking and talking about the idea for many weeks the first meeting saw some 
sixty shy girls ranging in ages from six to twenty-five who came to see what 
it was all about. In the six months that followed some three hundred girls 
and women had joined.

Things were not always a bed of roses Dorritt reflected: "At the first 
keep-fit class which was held there were more people standing outside the 
room than inside. Girls stood without, some jeering, some laughing, others 
shouting, and some threw stones on the roof".

But Dorritt persisted and gradually the Centre took off in the community. 
Reflecting on the Trench Town Saga and the impact on the lives that she 
touched Dorritt remarked:
"There was talk about what I did for them, "how I showed them life" and 
"believed in them" and gave them "a break" so that they were able to develop 
into responsible human beings.

The potential was there, I only planted the seed - prodding, counseling, 
inculcating skills and being a role model - in fact they were the ones that 
made it happen".
Lady Sylvia Foot the Governor's wife in reflecting on the impact of the club 
wrote these comments:

"I see the faces of young women coming, those first nights, shy and 
hesitant, just to see, with little or no intention of returning. I feel the 
delight of seeing them return, of seeing them not only take part in all club 
activities but soon to become anxious to give a lead.

The sudden flowering of imagination and enthusiasm, the eagerness to learn 
to dressmake, to cook, to delight in dancing, the quick understanding of how 
to conduct meetings, the unexpected talent for speaking in public. Hidden 
talents revealed giving a splendid self-confidence and a fierce pride in the 
club which these young women had joined with indifference and suspicion".

Truly the YWCA Club Centre, located at the corner of Seventh Street and 
Collie Smith Drive, was a beacon of hope in West Kingston and it was a 
crucial time of self recognition for Dorritt. A two-year training period in 
Toronto was to fit Dorritt for her position as Executive Secretary of the 
Kingston YWCA.

She held this position for a year and then felt the call to work with the 
visually challenged and she accepted the position of Administrative 
Secretary for the Jamaican Society for the Blind, a position she was to hold 
for over fifteen years.

This position provided the opportunities for relationships with other 
organisations dealing with the handicapped in society. Visits to the USA and 
the UK were all experiences that broadened her horizons and gave 
opportunities to renew friendships or make new ones.

Quite apart from her formal social work which had a fundamental Christian 
underpinning, Dorritt was also formally involved with the Caribbean 
Conference of Churches. This connection led to a visit with a group to 
Russia and a number of other Eastern European countries. It was a hectic and 
informative tour and meeting with believers in those countries strengthened 
her own faith.

The year 2001 was a special year for Dorritt. It was the year when she 
received several special awards in recognition of her community service.

-First there was the National Award, the Order of Distinction (OD)

- Then there was the National Volunteer Award for Excellence that she 
received with four others from the Parish

- Next was the Award of Excellence for outstanding service in the area of 
social development and

- Finally, Dorritt was the recipient of the very prestigious individual 
award to mark the International Year of the Volunteer.

These awards were a tribute to her extensive involvement with a large number 
of volunteer organisations some for over some sixty years.

Retirement to Spalding has not been a sinecure, but rather has involved a 
significant amount of innovative community work as well as involvement with 
the local United Church. Never idle this Jamaican icon has won a name and 
respect for herself in her adopted community.

The book of over 180 pages is packed with good quality photographs. From 
time to time, the narrative is interspersed with homely and sometime amusing 
Jamaica proverbs and local wisdom.

Dorritt discusses men and marriage in a frank way and essentially choose the 
path of singleness as her way of service. It will be an inspiration 
particularly to many a young girl faced with the challenges of growing up in 
the Jamaica of today. But it is inspiring history as it records what one 
committed individual can achieve.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20041124T230000-0500_70231_OBS_DORRITT_BENT__A_LIFE_STORY__.asp

--
BlindNews mailing list

Archived at: http://GeoffAndWen.com/blind/
Address message to list by sending mail to: BlindNews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Access your subscription info at: 
http://blindprogramming.com/mailman/listinfo/blindnews_blindprogramming.com 

Other related posts: